Altamont: Joel Selvin

Joel Selvin, author of  Altamont: The Rolling Stones, The Hells Angels and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day is interviewed by Richard Wolinsky.

Joel Selvin came to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1972 under the tutelage of John Wasserman, and after Wasserman’s death in 1979, took over music coverage at the newspaper, a stint that lasted until 2009. Joel Selvin has also served as co-author of several books, and sole author of Summer of Love: The Inside Story of LSD, Rock and Roll, Free Love.

The Altamont concert was a free concert given by the Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway in east Contra Costa County on December 6th, 1969. Originally intended to be in Golden Gate Park, it was moved to Sears Point Raceway and then, on short notice, to a dilapidated racetrack in the middle of nowhere. When the dust cleared, a concert goer had been killed before the horrified eyes of Mick Jagger, and rock and roll changed.

This interview was originally heard on KPFA’s Arts-Waves and Bookwaves programs in two parts.

Joel Selvin website

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